<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>that's what friends are for by Skyuni123</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24787843">that's what friends are for</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyuni123/pseuds/Skyuni123'>Skyuni123</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>AR fics [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Alex Rider (TV 2020), Alex Rider - Anthony Horowitz</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, Pre-Slash, Slice of Life, post point blanc</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 10:00:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>735</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24787843</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyuni123/pseuds/Skyuni123</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>a moment between tom and alex. post season one.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tom Harris/Alex Rider</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>AR fics [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1792810</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>78</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>that's what friends are for</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>light pre-slash. if you squint.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“How’d you know it was me?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh?” Tom’s doodling, drawing something terrible and multi-legged on one of the school benches in marker pen. He’s also not paying attention. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alex probably shouldn’t be talking about this out in the open, where anyone could hear. But, there’s no-one around, so unless someone’s pointing some kind of long distance listening device in their direction (and honestly, someone </span>
  <em>
    <span>might </span>
  </em>
  <span>be), it hardly matters. He shrugs, repeats himself. “How’d you know it was me? Night of the dance. The thing. Hitting him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tom looks up, squints at him through his scruffy fringe. “Just did, didn’t I? And you can say </span>
  <em>
    <span>clones.</span>
  </em>
  <span> I’m not going to freak.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jeez, it’s like getting blood out of a stone. “Fine. Clone me, real me. How’d you know which one to hit?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I was taking a bit of a guess-” Tom says, and then aims the marker in Alex’s direction when Alex lunges at him. “Oi, slap me and I’m drawing a dick on your face. Ayisha will never talk to you again.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alex rolls his eyes good-naturedly and leans back against the bench. “It’ll be a statement. It’ll add to my good looks. She’ll love it.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re a prick, honestly, why do I hang out with you?” Tom goes back to his drawing, scribbling madly, and rests his cast against the back of the bench. He’s scribbled out Steph’s name. Figures. That whole thing didn’t last long. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Alex leans over to take a peek at the drawing. It’s some kind of horrifying monster, being vanquished by a samurai. Figures. “How’d you know?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tom doesn’t reply, which is odd. Usually it’s hard to get him to shut up. It’s not that he can’t hear him, he’s deliberately being obtuse. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oi.” Alex says, and elbows him in the ribs, just a little. “Are you deliberately ignoring me?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“God, you’re worse than a cat.” Tom caps his pen, settles back against the other side of the bench and just looks at him, probably for a little too long. He thumbs at his lower lip for a second. “You know I’m your best mate, right?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ve made that very clear.” Alex replies, but there’s nothing mean in it, not at all.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve known you for years</span>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Tom says, throwing his hands wide. He winces. In hindsight, Alex thinks, probably not the best idea. “I’ve known you for </span>
  <em>
    <span>years</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I know how you walk, how you speak, how you part your hair - hell, if I had to pick you out of a line up of a thousand cloned yous, I’d be able to do it. Believe it or not, mate, I pay attention.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?” Alex smirks at him, but he’s genuinely touched, just a little. Tom’s dependable, that’s what he is. He’s a good mate, and an even better friend. That's all they'll be, Alex knows it and maybe regrets it, just a little - but he's always there, and that's what matters.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, and the clone Alex walked like he had a stick up his arse.” Tom says, consideringly, “Or at least a bigger one than you usually have.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, fuck you.” Alex replies, “Don’t think I won’t fight you just because you broke your arm for me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’d like to see you try.” Tom drops his marker, and holds up his arms in a faux boxing move. “Go on, give me your best.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>My </span>
  <em>
    <span>best </span>
  </em>
  <span>broke your arm - Alex thinks, but didn’t say, because it was his weird Nazi clone that did it, even though he feels strangely guilty about the whole thing. They roughhouse for a bit, throwing mock punches and slaps until his mind’s a bit lighter, and the whole thing’s less heavy on his head.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, stop.” Tom taps out by poking him in the side with his thumb, a little winded. His cheeks are flushed, eyes glowing. “You win, I’ll never best your ninja skills.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not a ninja,” Alex replies, and sits back against the bench once more. “Not really.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, you’re just a literal teen spy.” Tom says. “No similarities there at all. Can’t think of any. None.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But he’s grinning, and Alex is grinning back too. It's good, this. Quiet. Just the pair of them. It was something he'd missed the most at Point Blanc, when he'd sat alone in his room late at night. He'd missed the comfort, the familiarity. “Hey, pass us the pen…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>God, he’s missed this.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>tom's like... kinda queercoded, right?</p>
<p>hit me up on the <a href="http://eph-em-era.tumblr.com"> tumblr </a></p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>